Never Alone
by laurdogg
Summary: Set before the arrival of Bella. A vision leads the Cullen family into a dangerous situation. JasperAlice !UPDATE! Chapter three up! Four to arrive soonish...hopefully.
1. Abduction

Author's Note: 1/4/03: The first chpter is officially finished!! Hope you all like. 

-----

_"Jasper, I can't go down there! It's too dark!"_

_"Alice, you must...you need to."_

_"No, Jasper, please don't make me!" Darkness creeped in around her as his face distorted, twisted into a malicious, evil grin. His hands gripped her arms and he leaned in as if to kiss her._

_"Down the rabbit hole, Alice..." With a dark laugh he pushed her, sent her spiraling down into the deepening abyss, her screams echoing..._

Her own scream coming from deep inside of her brought her trembling from the vision.

"No..." It came out in a mere whisper, but caused several members of the Cullen family to come running. Emmett was beside her in half the time it took to blink, holding her tight. "Alice, what did you see? Are you all right? Alice, say something."

She clung to him, her tiny frame enveloped by his arms. She opened her mouth, intending to tell them what she saw, but nothing came out. She shook her head vigorously, then tried again. "Jasper," was all she could choke out. As she mumbled this single word, he pushed past Carlisle, Rosalie and Edward, her fear and pain roaring through him.

"Alice!" He reached out towards her, sending a wave of concern in her direction. She watched him for a moment, then let out a feral snarl, her ebony eyes glinting. She attempted to lunge at him, kicking and clawing at Emmett's arms, but he held fast.

"What the hell?" Carlisle grabbed her legs, holding her still as Jasper tried to calm her. She stopped abruptly, staring him down. She moved Emmett's arms aside, stepping past Carlisle towards Jasper, who was now standing against the back wall of the room.

"You pushed me...you made me go down there. I begged you not to, but you made me!"

He shook his head uncomprehendingly. "Alice, I didn't make you do anything. I never would. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Alice," Edward stepped forward. He concentrated fiercely on her, searching for her vision in her mind. He recoiled slightly as he watched what she had seen. "Jesus Christ..."

They all turned to look at him, except Alice, who was still focused solely on Jasper.

"I saw it...but it must have been a mistake." He quickly explained the vision to the others, their expressions solemn.

"It had to have been a mistake...I would never hurt her! I love her!" Jasper sunk to the floor in front of an unseeing Alice, her eyes cloudy and distant, trancelike. Carlisle knelt beside him, his hand on his shoulder.

"I know you would never hurt her...but something isn't right. Alice is never wrong. She may misinterpret sometimes, but that was pretty straightforward. We'll figure this out. For now, get Alice to her room." Jasper nodded and did as he was told, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to his room. She let herself be moved easily, but her gaze remained empty. She looked like a doll, glassy-eyed and expressionless.

"What was down there that frightened you so much, little one? What have I done to you?" Jasper murmured softly, laying with her on their bed, resting her head on his chest. He rubbed her back, humming. She blinked a few times and looked up at him. He could feel the remnants of fear clinging to her.

"Jasper?" She seemed unsure of herself and her surroundings, clearly disoriented. He held her tight, her small body fitting perfectly against his.

"Yes Alice?"

"What happened?"

"Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure myself. You..." He trailed off, unable to explain the episode that had just taken place. "I don't know. But something happened inside of you and you cracked." She nodded ever so slightly, as if she understood what he was trying to convey. She was still shaking, her little fists gripping his shirt collar. She touched his chest, sensing for a sign that it was alright, that she was safe. He felt her need, tilting her chin up to him and kissing her softly. She kissed him back desperately, losing herself in him, trying to forget the horrible images that plagued her thoughts. The look in his eyes haunted her, the disturbing sensation of falling into that endless black causing her granite skin to tingle. She couldn't bring herself to believe that it was true, that her vision had truly shown him doing such a wretched thing. There was a light tap on the door, and Edward entered as they broke their kiss.

"Alice? Are you alright?" She nodded again, afraid to open her mouth lest the pain flooding her inside give itself life through sound. "We'll fix this...paths change. You only see possibilities.

"I know," she attempted to say, but instead an unearthly cry of pure, utter anguish ripped from her, sending both men reeling.

"A-Alice..." Jasper stuttered, clearly undone by this raw display of emotion that he had unintentionally felt himself. The three of them sat there in silence for a few moments, as Alice, stunned by what she hadn't known she was capable of feeling, tried to gain control of herself again.

"Jasper, Carlisle wanted to speak with you..." Edward mumbled. Jasper rose to leave, and Edward rose with him.

"No!" Alice shrieked, latching onto Jasper's arm. "Don't leave me alone!" Darkness throbbed around her, she could feel it closing in, tightening its grip on her, choking her. She swayed precariously, feeling more human now than she ever had in her previous life.

"Alice, I promise, I'll be right back..." Jasper rubbed her arm, trying once again to calm her. She nodded, biting her lip, choking back another cry. The boys left, heading to Carlisle's study.

"Sit," he said as they entered. They both did so. "I think what Alice saw may have some connection to her past, or at least her reaction does...I haven't quite figured that connection out yet t hough." He grimaced, leaning against his desk. "I'm honestly not sure what must be done now...we have never delt with this sort of incident."

"You mean the possibility that we might actually hurt one another?" Jasper glowered, hunched over himself in a defensive manner, self-hatred and fear, among other emotions,  
rolling off of him in crushing waves.

"Jasper," Edward snappped. "Quit it. You're making us all upset." Jasper bowed his head, reigning himself in. Edward looked back at Carlisle, his brow furrowed. "I honestly don't believe that it could have been him...it's not in him to harm her. At least, not that his thoughts reveal." Carlisle nodded in agreement. "It doesn't make sense..."

-----

Alice lay curled tight on her bed, her arms locked around her knees. The vision replayed over and over in her mind's eye.

"Down the rabbit hole, Alice." A hand clamped around her mouth as the realization swept over her that the voice was no longer in her head; it was right behind her. She found herself being lifted into the air, marble arms binding her against a cold chest. Her thoughts cried for Edward, willing him to hear her. He responded, breaking the door down in half a human breath, Jasper and Carlisle behind him. The intruder's ruby eyes glinted, disappearing with Alice before they knew it.

-----

"God damnit!" Jasper slammed his fist against the wall of Alice's room, punching a hole cleanly through the white plaster. "Shit!" He stalked away from the wall, eyes fierce with rage. "You can't sense her at all?" Edward shook his head sadly, turning his gaze out the window. "Jasper...please, calm down. We'll find her. She's a strong girl, she can surely hold her own for a little while at least."

Jasper whirled on him, his voice low and deliberate. "How do you know? What if this vampire is stronger than her? What if she's hurt, Edward?" He turned away, his head in his hands, torturous sorrow shadowing the entire room. "I can't live without her...I can't."

Rosalie wrapped her arms around him protectively, pressing her cheek against his back. "We'll find her," she echoed. "I swear to you Jasper...we won't abandon her...or you." Jasper nodded, turning to return her embrace, pulling away after a moment.

"I'm going to find her."

"I'm going with you," Edward said. "Emmett will come too. We won't let anything happen to her. She means as much to all of us as she does you."

"I just don't understand...first that awful vision, and now this? It can't be a simple coincidence."

"I'll see what I can find out. You three go. She needs you. I'll stay here with Rosalie and Esme. We'll do what we can." Rosalie shook her head.

"I want to come too. She's my family as well. You'll need all the help you can get. We have no idea what we're up against." On this everyone agreed, and within moments the were gone.

-----

"Edward, what have you got?" Rosalie murmured to her brother, who could hear here clearly despite the distance.

"Nothing yet...I'm still working on it." The band of four had spread out, searching down the coastline. "Jasper? Emmett? How are you two holding up?"

"Fine and dandy, my brother," was Emmett's response. Jasper remained silent, consumed in his thoughts.

"Jasper?" Edward repeated, getting worried. He grunted grudgingly, simply to let him know he was still alive. They were only a half an hour into their search-and-rescue, but all of them were jumpy. Jasper wandered among trees and brush, keeping along the edges of the forests that bordered the beaches. He threw his senses out, reaching for human life,  
the life of his beloved Alice.

-----

Alice lay limp in the arms that held her, trying to think of a way out, biding her time. She could smell ocean, salty and wet, and knew they had to still be near the coast. There was no way they could have gotten her far. She swiftly stole a glance at her captor, examining him closely. He was tall, muscular and handsome. His good looks were diminished by a sharpness, a harshness that shrouded him. Suddenly, he dropped her onto the hard ground, and she quickly rose to her feet, shifting into a fighting position. He laughed, and she bristled.

"You can't fight me, Alice." His voice was smooth, with a soft, lilting British accent. The tiny creature growled darkly, her eyes flashing.

"You underestimate me."

"Oh no no, little one. You underestimate me." He smirked and from behind her came Jasper, his beautiful face morphed into a hideous grin.

"Jasper! W-What..." She gaped at the sight in front of her in disbelief. He said not a word, striding up to her and striking her across the face, sending her soaring across the clearing into a tree. She crumpled to the ground, looking up at him in horror.

"Jasper...no..."

-----

Jasper's head snapped up as he felt a searing pain pounding in the back of his skull, reverberating down to his lower back.

"Edward! This way!" The others were by him in an instant, and Edward grinned wolfishly.

"I've got her. She's hurt, but there are two...wait." He stopped, grasping Jasper's arm. "She thinks you're with her." Jasper looked confused.

"What?"

"Come on, let's get there. We don't have much time. They're on the move."

-----

Alice rolled to avoid a blow from Jasper and lunged at her captor, sinking her teeth firmly into the vampire's granite flesh. He howled in pain and Jasper grabbed her around the waist, pulling her from the vampire and throwing her against a large boulder. He held her there by her arms as she stared helplessly into his eyes.

"Why?" she whispered, hardly struggling in his grasp. Her fear and pain and everything else she had ever felt dissolved under his hardened gaze, leaving her empty and dead inside.

He scooped her up in his arms, like he always had before, and turned to the vampire.

"Where to, Alex?" Alex grinned, showing far too many teeth for Alice's liking.

"Home, of course."

-----

Jasper, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie entered the clearing warily. Jasper let out a roar of fury upon finding it deserted.

"She was here! I felt her! Not even a moment ago! I can still **smell** her!" The others were silent, not sure how to respond to his agony. Rosalie held tight to Emmett, frightened herself.

"They're not far," Edward said. "I think we might be able to track them, if not find them."

Jasper turned to him, his face stony and cold. "Go. I will follow you wherever you lead us, Edward, as long as in the end it leads me to Alice."

They kept moving forward, heading north again, further inland. As hard as he tried, Edward could not hear Jasper's thoughts, nor could he feel any emotion coming from him. It was as though he had shut himself down and was running on autopilot. He didn't speak at all, not until they were almost twenty minutes (at vampire speed, that is) into Canada. He pulled him aside slightly, away from Emmett and Rosalie.

"Can you still hear her?"

"Yes."

"What is she thinking?"

"She's afraid. She can't believe you'd do this...I'm not sure what that is though. Other than that...nothing. She's...numb." Jasper turned away in silence, catching up with the other two. Edward followed, unnerved by the way he seemed to have detached from himself, although the situation seemed to merit it.

Soon, then had retraced her thoughts to a large, mansion-like house deep in the northern forests. Emmett glanced around, then proceeded to rip the door from its hinges to reveal a battered and broken Alice lying motionless on the foyer floor.


	2. Savior

Note: Sorry if this chapter's a little short. Rating upped, for obvious reasons, and just to be safe. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah characters not mine blah Stephenie Meyer's blah plot's original (enough).

* * *

Jasper flung himself to her side, sweeping her into his arms gently, cradling her against his chest. His thoughts carried him back to the day they met.

_He laid in a field, somehwere just inside the Mississippi border, near Memphis, the tall grass tickling his bare chest. The sunlight glittered off his pale skin. He basked in the glorious June heat, letting his guard down in this secluded spot for the first time in decades. He allowed his thoughts to roam, unleashed his emotions, pushing the tension and emptiness that had plagued him for so long out of his mind. He relaxed for what could have been hours, maybe even days. Suddenly, a twig snapped near the edge of the clearing and he bolted up, staying low in a defensive crouch. A sprite of a woman, who could not have come to more than his chest, stepped from behind the cover of the trees, staying in the shadows of the forest. She was fiercely beautiful, in an almost childlike, innocent way, her eyes a soft tawny-gold. He knew from the moment he saw her that she was like him._

_"I was beginning to think I was wrong, and you wouldn't come, Jasper." Her voice was gentle, soft and sweet._

_"I knew I had to. I don't know how or why, but I knew," Jasper said. The girl ran up to him with a light step that more resembled dancing that running, a trait that fit her more than perfectly. Her skin, like his own, sparkled in the bright rays of sun._

_"I see things," she stated. As he predicted, she rose only to just below his chest. Her short, dark hair was mussed in an attractive way, haloing her head._

_"Like you saw me?" She smiled up at him._

_"Yes. Like you. I'm Alice."_

_"Alice," he repeated, a smile playing across his own lips. "I'm Jasper."_

_"I know." She placed her hand in his, an unsurprisingly found it to be a perfect fit._

A surge of anger from Rosalie brought him crashing back to the present. Rosalie had Alex pinned to a wall, her lips curled in a snarl. Emmett and Edward flanked her, their fists clenched. I turned my hear quickly, hearing footsteps behind me. I was met with a familiar pair of golden eyes and if I had been human, I would have gasped. I was staring at myself. Alex chuckled as the others turned to look, their expressions changing from anger to utter disbelief in a split second. Jasper moved to stand near Edward, still holding Alice.

"Rose, get her out of here. We'll take of them," Jasper muttered quickly, handing Alice to Rosalie. Alice scrambled down from her arms, shaking her head slightly.

"I'm alright," she murmured almost silently. "I knew you'd come." She threw a quick smile at Jasper, touching his hand. "He can shapeshift. His name is Malcolm, and he's very dangerous. They want us dead...all of us." She relayed this information before the other vampires could even register it.

Jasper shook his head. "Go. I refuse to even chance you getting harmed again. Rosalie, get her out now." Rose nodded, and Alice sighed, seeing she would not win this battle. They were gone in the blink of an eye.

-----

Alice paced the floor of the study, Carlisle sitting at his desk, and Esme sitting in an arm chair. Alice had already been accosted by them, Esme fussing over her until she had forced her to sit. Carlisle had embraced her tightly the moment she walked in the door, and Rose had bear hugged her in an eerily Emmett-like fashion the moment they were clear of the mansion.

"Where are they? They should be back by now! I swear to God if any of them are hurt I will never forgive myself...the only reason I didn't fight back is because I believed Jasper to be the one attacking me! If I had known..." Rosalie touched her arm, giving her a sympathetic look.

"You couldn't have known. There was no way. It's not your fault. They tricked you, Alice. We're just thankful you're alright." Alice sighed, sitting in the chair opposite Rose.

"I know...I'm afraid for them. Alex and Malcolm are strong...most likely no match for Emmett, but Malcolm's gift may give them an edge."

"Was Alex gifted?" Carlisle inquired, his fingers steepled in front of his face, elbows on the desk.

"I don't know," Alice said as she turned away, running a hand through her spiky hair. "I just don't understand...I had given up. Why not kill me when they had the chance? They couldn't have possibly believed you would all just leave me. They're no match for all of us...it doesn't make sense." Esme looked up suddenly.

"Your vision. It hasn't come true yet, has it?"

"No, it hasn't."

"Then you'll be safe. Your visions always come true. If you saw it, it means you must stay...alive, I suppose?" She looked puzzled for a moment, unsure if her phrasing would be taken the wrong way. Alice smiled slightly.

"Don't worry. I'm fully aware of the fact that I'm technically not alive." The smile returned to Esme's face. At that moment, the boys burst through the door, Rosalie holding Emmett's hand. All four had a dark look about them. Jasper ran to Alice, sweeping her off her feet and into a deep kiss. She clung to him tighter than ever before, wrapping her legs around his waist. Jasper ran his fingers through her dark locks, breaking the kiss and holding her like his life depended on it. Alice laid her head on his shoulder, breathing in his musky, sweet scent.

Edward went to stand near Carlisle, murmuring to him, "Alex has been...dealt with. But Malcolm got away."

"Well," Carlisle said. "Then we'll all just have to be on our guard until we can take care of that then, won't we?"

Jasper carried Alice out of the room without a word, kicking their bedroom door shut behind them and pressing her against the wall. He began to kiss her neck, sending shivers up her spine. "I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, running his hand down her arm. "I was so terrified...I can't live without you,  
Alice...I love you."

A soft moan escaped her lips as he bit lightly at her. "I know..." she breathed, tangling her fingers in his hair. He carried her to the bed, lying her down gently, his lips continuing to explore as darkness fell.

-----

"I will never let anyone harm you, Alice. I promise," Jasper whispered as she laid curled next to him, her head on his chest, tracing patterns on the pale, smooth skin there.

"I know Jasper...it wasn't your fault. We were all caught off guard."

"I'll find him, and I will rip him to pieces myself." Alice had just finished telling him everything that had happened, mentioning that while Alex had taken her, it was Malcolm who had beat her.

"He looked just like you...I couldn't even comprehend why you would do that...it killed me. So I just...shut down." Jasper pulled her tighter against him, her words stabbing through him.

"You know I would never hurt you..."

"I know. Which is exactly why it made it hurt that much more. Even after I knew it was Malcolm, it just hurt so bad...and then I saw you, and I realized I was alright. That I could just get up and walk over to you, and everything would be okay. And it was...you're here." She snuggled closer, kissing his chest with the lightest possible touch.

"I don't know why they would come after us though...we've never hurt anybody."

"That's just it. They think we're a disgrace, the way we live...no doubt once they had killed our family they'd go to Denali."

Jasper kissed her neck, fleetingly wishing she were human simply so he could feel her pulse beneath his lips. Alice closed her eyes as he allowed a wave of desire to wash over her, finding it matched with her own. He grinned, kissing her deeply as she moved to straddle him.

"Twice in one night?" He whispered as she kissed his collarbone. "Oh how I love the stamina of vampires..." He closed his eyes blissfully as she moved down his chest, letting Alice take control.


	3. Revelation

A/N: Alice shifts quickly through emotions in this chapter, especially when she goes from being around Edward to being around Jasper. She'll stable out soon, I promise. Once again, enjoy.

--------------------------------

The next day had an awkward tension to it, as everyone was careful not to upset Alice. Alice, on the other hand, was completely occupied being completely, utterly, and irrevocably in love with Jasper. It seemed, to the others, that her ordeal had caused her to fall in love all over again. For Alice, it had been the previous night's interactions that had sent her over the edge with bliss. After what she had been through, Jasper had been so careful, so gentle and soft that she couldn't help but be swept off of her feet. And it continued in this fashion for the next week or so. During the day, the family gathered what information they could on the rogue vampire that remained at large. But when night fell, Alice's mind was elsewhere. In Jasper's arms, she didn't have to constantly relive what had happened, didn't have to avoid being asked for details. She didn't have to think at all. All she needed to do, all she wanted to do, was _feel_. Esme and Carlisle were simply overjoyed that she was readjusting in such an easy way, and Rosalie and Emmett took their initiative, taking time for themselves as well. Edward thought differently.

The first incident had occurred the day after Alice returned. He had wandered into the living room to find Alice sitting on the couch, staring at the tv screen, which was black. She was eerily still and blank, her little hands curled into tight fists, her knuckles white. He had gently begun to probe her mind when he was met with blunt force. She had repelled him, met his silent inquiries with a mental brick wall. She turned to look at him, fixing him with such a raw look of pure hatred that he took a step away, taken aback. Her eyes were coal black, her skin even paler than normal.

"Stay out of my mind," she hissed angrily.

"Alice, what's wrong with you?" She turned away from him, shielding herself.

"Nothing is wrong with me. Mind your own business Edward. Just because you have the ability to pry into someone's private thoughts doesn't mean you have the right to." Edward was struck speechless. Alice had always let him into her mind, sharing her ideas, her memories, her visions, her feelings. He had always been closest to her, as their gifts were so intertwined. He saw what she saw, and she had never stopped him from seeing before. What was in that head of hers that she was so determined to hide from him?

The second time, they had been hunting. Alice was sitting on the sloping lawn near the lakeshore, crosslegged, lost in the same trancelike state. Edward and Jasper had been speaking in low voices, careful not to let her hear.

"I'm worried about her...she seems off. Of course, she'd be a little off after what happened, but this is...different."

Jasper nodded gravely. "I'm worried as well. She's been...detached, for the most part. But there are moments when she's just so obviously vulnerable and scared, and it frightens me a bit. She's always been the strong one, and I fear for her now. I'm afraid she'll hold it all in. She hardly even told me what happened...there's more than what we know. She just won't open up, even to me." He recalled the first night with her again, how forceful and determined she had been, how she had almost desperately kissed him, begging him to take her. He turned to look at her, a deep sadness plaguing his now topaz eyes. "There are moments when she looks as though she's about to break, and I just don't know how to help hold her together."

"She told Carlisle that something else had happened, and then she just didn't go on. He didn't push her, but he wonders. We all do. She was there for too long...nearly a full day. Nothing in the human world, of course. But for us...I can only imagine what she went through. And the fact that she though it was you couldn't have helped. I can't even begin to fathom how that must have felt."

Jasper turned away from Edward, gazing over Alice's head into the sunset with her. "I can. I know. I can still feel it in her, that pain. That feeling of completely abandoment, desolation...it's horrible, Edward." He paused, moving his eyes to Alice. "She's afraid of being alone in the dark. Did you know that Edward? She's absolutely terrified of being left by herself in the dark. I never leave her side at night, just to make sure she never has a reason to be afraid."

"You're amazing to her Jasper. I hope she never has a reason to fear you." He murmured this last part quietly, to himself, for reasons he didn't understand. He shook his head, ridding himself of the foreboding feeling that had overshadowed him. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and narrowing his eyes slightly at Alice, concentrating hard. This time, instead of just being blocked, she sent a mental bolt of pure energy at him, and he staggered back as though he had been hit.

"Edward?" Jasper looked at him curiously.

"N-Nothing...I'm fine. Don't ask." Jasper nodded, taking his word for it.

That night, Jasper and Alice retired to their room late, having just finished a rousing game of gin rummy with Carlisle, Edward and Rosalie. Emmett had opted out to watch on the sidelines, chuckling at how intently his wife demolished everyone. Alice was on him the moment the door shut, standing on her tiptoes to press her lips feverishly against his. She gripped his shirt tightly, twisting the fabric between her fingers.

"Alice," he mumbled against her lips. "Wait...I want to talk to you." He picked her up, laying down on the bed with her straddling him, rubbing her back.

"I don't want to talk," she murmured, leaning in to nuzzling his neck in the way she knew he loved, eliciting a soft growl from him. She shivered at the sound, a little smile playing across her lips.

"Alice, don't. Tell me what's going on with you. You're acting so strange." She lifted her head to gaze at him.

"I'm not acting strange. I don't want to talk," she repeated, a little more firmly this time. He could feel fear emnating from her, along with a little irritation and a lot of desire.

"You hardly talk to Edward at all, you never laugh anymore. You barely even smile. We haven't had a decent conversation since..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say here. She was beginning to get scared. He was pushing her out of her comfort zone, taking her safety net away with these questions. She had thought that the one place she could get away from the curious eyes and worried murmurings was with him.

"Stop it," she whispered.

"You won't let anyone touch you. You even flinched when I tried to hold your hand tonight. Anything that you don't expect you shy away from," he continued.

"Stop it," she said a little bit louder this time.

He ignored her, going on. "You're cold, distant. I can rarely feel anything from you. You've shut yourself down, Alice. What did they do to you?"

"Stop it!"

Jasper stared at her, in shock from this sudden screaming outburst. He swiftly sent a calm through the house to ensure no one would come running. She sat on him, shaking, her eyes squeezed shut. He opened his mouth to say something, but could not even begin to think of words to convey his thoughts. Instead, he showed her what he felt. His own fear, sadness, hurt and love washed over her, engulfing her. She kissed him hard, pressing herself against him.

"Alice...tell me what you're feeling."

"Don't, Jasper, please."

"Alice-"

She looked up at him, pleading and desperate, cutting him off. "Please, Jasper, make love to me." He gazed at her for a moment, the rush of unavoidable aching need taking him over. He kissed her deeply, letting the night cover them.

-----

It was another four days until they caught wind of Malcolm again. Alice was sitting playing a few rounds of blackjack against Emmett when she had a vision.

"He's headed here again. He'll be here by twilight." The family went silent as tension mounted.

"We'll wait for him," Edward said.

"No," Alice said. "We'll meet him head on. He'll be expecting us to be here, but he won't expect a direct attack. He'll expect me to stay here, where I think I'm safe."

"Why would he think that?" Rosalie asked, uncertain.

"Just because," Alice snapped. "Come on. We have to leave now if we're to catch him in time."

-----

The forest was dark, dense and quiet. Emmett and Jasper led the hunting party, with Alice and Edward bringing up the rear. Alice was completely silent, in her movements and in her mind. Try as he might, she would not let him in.

"Alice," he stopped her, a hand on her arm. She shrugged him off, facing him with a mildly annoyed expression.

"We have to keep moving, Edward."

He was tired of playing games. "Did he rape you, Alice?" he asked bluntly. She stared at him long and hard, then laughed harshly.

"No, Edward. He could have, and he might have wanted to, but he didn't. Jasper is the only man I have ever been with, and I intend for it to stay that way."

Edward ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long sigh. "Then what? I don't understand." He stressed the last word. The others were long gone by now. Alice turned from him, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. "Alice, don't. Don't close yourself off from me like this."

She rounded on him, her voice low and deadly. "Do you want to know, Edward, what they did to me? Fine." She forced her memories on him in a vicious mental assault. He saw Alice lying in a pitch-black, windowless room that couldn't have been more than six feet on all sides. He witnessed Malcolm as Jasper taunting her, beating her, breaking her. Finally, he watched as Malcolm leaned in close, whispering to her in horrid detail exactly what he'd do to Jasper, to each memeber of the only family she knew before destroying them all. She crumpled to the groun, releasing him from her mind's hold. She knelt with her hands planted firmly on the ground, her tiny frame shaking more violently than ever before. Edward sat himself beside her, tentatively hugging her. She looked up at him, and suddenly her mind was open wide. She shook her head sadly.

"That room, Edward, that horrible room. I couldn't bear it. And the worst part is, I don't even know why. I could assume it was like being in solitary confinement all over again. But if something happened when I was in that asylum, I will never know..."

Edward was silent, unable to begin to comprehend that emptiness, that gaping hole in her life.

"Come on," she said quietly. "We have to catch up. I want that bastard dead."


End file.
